Brand new Rose Wrangler doesn't know where to start

Cat_RancherMarch 17, 2011

My neighbor was cutting back her Lady Banks roses- yellow and white- and my husband knew I wanted to regrow his grandfather's famous rose garden that the previous caretakers tore out :O so he asked for some. I have some gorgeous canes in water right now, but I need to know if it's crazy/hopeless to try to start cuttings. I've researched what the web says, but I thought I would get it straight from the experts "on the ground". Any advice? have I already made fatal errors?

No it's not at all crazy hopelesss to try to start cuttings! All I do is follow the instructions found on line. But one thing I found from experience is to not to have the soil you are rooting in too wet or they will rot. I mix half potting soil and half perlite and have it barely damp. Not all of them take, but stick a lot of them and some will. You don't necessarily need rooting hormone to root roses. Good luck and have fun doing it. Let us know how many rose babies you get.

Hello Cat_rancher. I was going to post yesterday but I couldn't log on. I asked my friend, Roselee, to do it for me, but I just learned that she never got that email. Strangely enough, she has posted to you anyway...above. :-)

Here is my 2 cents:

My Lady Banks is blooming right now. I just LOVE it ! I wish it would bloom more throughout the year. I started mine from a cutting years ago, so I know it can be done.
I made a lot of cuttings, which you can do with your canes. Make them about 5 or 6 inches long. Leave some leaves at the top, or at least the nodes where leaves have been. If you keep the leaves on, cut them in half. That way the energy will go to growing roots, not keeping full leaves looking good.
I usually put a lot of cuttings into a large shallow pot, like a large hanging basket. Some cuttings wonÃ¯Â¿Â½t make it. As they die I pull them out and leave the green ones. Like I usually do with rose cuttings, I leave them for quite awhile in the pot until there is new growth that shows they are rooting. Later I move them to individual pots to grow larger.

Roselee is also a rose rancher, and she does it differently than I do. If you have any questions please feel free to email me directly in case I can't find you again.

I hope your cuttings take. If they don't LB roses are easy to find.
One thing about RB roses that you should know. They get HUGE,HUGE,HUGE. I transplanted mine to the base of a smallish tree so it could grow up the tree as a trellis. I don't recommend putting LB roses near your house as they can damage it. Good luck!